Pokemon Ranger: Synthetic Life
by Alfa19
Summary: The Sequel To Pokemon Ranger Lumiere Diamant
1. A Fresh Start

**Chapter 1: A Fresh Start**

**Part 1: Aether Arrest**

Alfa stepped forward moving closer to the smiling figure of his twin brother, gaining speed with each step until he was moving at a full out sprint. He crashed into the glowing form of his sibling, overcome with joy, at least before he realized where he was.

"Is this… the afterlife?" he asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"Yes… or rather, the pathway to the two sides of the afterlife. It's been so long!" Ice replied, embracing Alfa, "However, this is not the time nor the place to catch up. You see, we have a problem. No one is getting to the aether or the nether. When they step out into the passageway, they're supposed to be able to walk on the void to the judgment chamber. Instead they're getting sucked in. This corridor of stone is the gateway here. I had just arrived and managed to avoid stepping over when I saw what was happening. Everyone's stuck between the aether and the nether, and those who've seen the void, well they aren't around."

"Well then there's only one way to find out what's going isn't there." Alfa stated.

"There is, I just wanted to wait for you. It has been a while you know." Ice answered. "Shall we?"

"Yes." Alfa replied, walking to the edge, and turning around with his brother.

"On three wouldn't you say?" Ice suggested.

"Yes, why don't you start?" Alfa said.

"One." Ice began.

"Three." Alfa interjected, leaping off backwards, his brother following having expected as much. Alfa twisted around so that he was falling feet first into the gaping void below. A few seconds later, he hit the ground falling onto his side from the speed. He looked over his shoulder. Ice was lying there next to him. All of a sudden everything went dark and Alfa got the feeling he was being carried somewhere in a giant hand. He felt his head ache for a second before Ice's voice sounded in his head. Apparently that was possible in the afterlife.

'This hand… it's a Regigigass. Probably the spirit of one from ancient times, or a recently deceased one.' Ice was thinking towards him.

'So either a Regigigass has gone mad or someone's controlling it.' Alfa thought back.

'The latter's more likely. But the question is that if it is the latter, then who's controlling it?' Ice admitted in his thoughts.

'Hey! That's what I was gonna think! You know, if we keep this up, someone's going to think we're twins.' Alfa joked. He could tell that somewhere in Regigigass's other hand, Ice was smiling. All of a sudden, a dull glow broke through the hand surrounding him. Realizing that Regigigass was opening its hand was going to drop him, Alfa braced himself, not knowing how high up he was. He fell a few feet, landing on his feet this time. He looked around but Ice was nowhere to be seen. He looked up to see that Regigigass's other hand was still closed.

"And the other one?" a voice sounded from somewhere. Presumably the person controlling Regigigass. Alfa had a feeling he knew that voice… and he was dreading who it probably was. He looked forward as Regigigass's other hand uncurled and Ice fell to the floor. Sitting on a throne made of bricks and grass on a raised dais, which Alfa realized to his horror was a Bastiodon struggling to hold it up, was a man around 4' 11", wearing a red cloak over a yellow shirt, black pants and a red waistcoat. Alfa looked up at his head. Yellow hair, shaped to look menacing, but instead looking foolish was held up by evidently enormous amounts of hairspray adding another foot and a half to his height was perched on top of a round thin face with round glasses in front of the bloodshot, greyish blue eyes of his captor:

Mr. Kincaid.

Alfa stepped forward but Kincaid began to speak.

"No moving in the afterlife!" He snapped, as the Regigigass put its hand around Alfa. "Sound familiar?" He cackled. He may have regained some sense, but traces of the insanity that had sent him to his death remained evident. Alfa looked around instead of replying. The floor roof and walls of the enormous cave they were in were made of a dull red stone, and looking around, he noticed many other souls, both human and Pokémon, huddled near each other. Massive amounts of light came from small fires and enormous pits of lava.

"Now you may have been informed off how I died Alfa. If not, it may take further explanation." Kincaid began, with the air of someone explaining to someone why they couldn't get a new phone for their birthday.

"Yeah, you choked on your first meal in the psychiatric prison." Alfa taunted him.

"Yes, chicken. Now when you enter the afterlife, your body is exactly as it was before it died. Now you were hit with a spear that killed you the instant you came into contact with it, so the spear isn't here. It took me a while to die with the chicken in my throat, so when I arrived here, the chicken was still in my throat. I managed to get it out. Now the physics of the afterlife suggests that if a creature is already dead, and its bodily form is brought into the afterlife again, then the afterlife should start to unwind and collapse. Soon, the judgment pavilion will also be gone!"

The Regigigass was uncurling its hand slowly.

'Ice, you listening to all this? If you are reply to this, the Regigigass is leaving, so the minute we're free, make a run for the chicken… it's next to Kincaid's throne, and burn it.' Alfa thought, directing his thought's solely at Ice.

'Game on. Be ready.'

"… and I have an army bent to my will here, and soon…" Kincaid continued ranting, not paying attention to them. The hand lifted from around him and Alfa broke into a run, aiming at the nearest obstacle that could stop Ice from getting to the chicken: Kincaid. Alfa sprinted through the cave, running onto a rock and leaping to avoid the Bastiodon, straight onto Kincaid's chest. Alfa landed with force, clamping his hands over Kincaid's mouth, regardless of how much he loathed it. If Kincaid couldn't give orders, no one would stop Ice. He turned his head and looked over at Ice as he dropped the chicken into a lava pit, shouting triumphantly.

Alfa let go of his former captor's mouth and ran straight to his brother. They were free!

A few hours later…

Alfa and Ice stepped through the golden gates to the aether, greeted by and angel.

"Welcome… we thank you for saving the afterlife from destruction."

"What's that golden arch thing over there?" Ice asked the angel. Gesturing towards an intricately carved teen foot high golden arch.

"That is the gateway to life. If humans ever find a way to bring back the deceased, the arch will fill with light, and the name of the one being drawn back will burn in the sky." The angel replied, smiling.

All of a sudden, the arch filled itself with light. Alfa glanced to the sky to see who was being drawn back. He felt like his heart was stuck in his throat. It was his name in the sky. Before he had a chance to move, he was sucked into the gateway. The last thing he saw was a look of shock on Ice's face.

-/

**Part 2: New Life**

"ICEEE!" Alfa woke up screaming his name, not accepting the fact that he had been separated from his brother a second time. He instinctively sat up still screaming fighting against all the medical cords binding him back. He saw some people in the back of the room, but they were vague figures and he was unable to make out who they were. He kept on going like that for a few hours until he had finally calmed down and was functioning at full capacity. All of a sudden, Kellyn's face came into view.

"HE'S AWAKE!" Kellyn shouted out, running towards him.

"Kellyn!" Alfa replied, reeling in shock with the fact that he was alive. For the past few hours he had been obsessed with his second separation from his brother. Now he was lucid and back to reality.

"Alfa! Stay in the bed!" Kellyn said to him as he sat down on the edge of the bed. "Oh my god Alfa. We were worried it wasn't going to work, that you would die!"

"Worried that what wouldn't work?" Alfa questioned him. Kellyn hesitated before answering.

"That's more for Isaac to explain. Why don't I go fetch him?"

-/

Isaac sat down to begin his explanation.

"Okay, now Alfa, when you arrived here you were nearly dead. There was a spear in your chest and we barely had a heartbeat. In short we kept working to keep you alive. Then the slight problem arose that when we finally managed to remove the spear without guaranteeing your death, more than half the muscle tissue in your body was dead. Um… so we replaced it with synthetic muscle tissue."

At this Alfa spurted out the water he was drinking at the time being.

"I have prosthetic body parts!?" He cried.

"No. No. Nothing like that. You know what tissue is in biological terms. We've been developing synthetic muscle tissue for limb repair for a long time now. We replaced your muscle tissue where it was dead with the synthetic tissue. Your body and your skin is still your own though." Isaac explained.

"How much of my body?" Alfa asked, afraid of the possible outcome.

"Um… both your legs, arms, and your entire back as well as the muscles covering your heart and lungs." Isaac answered.

"Anything else different about me?" Alfa asked.

"Okay, so moving on. Now we had some problems with the diamond in your heart. From constant contact with your blood, the carbon was eroding out and would have killed you soon. So we removed it and replaced the irreparable gash with, again, synthetic muscle tissue, which is what the heart is made off. Don't worry, I've worked around your Ionix device. Your new capture rings are silicon… And um… that's it. Any questions."

"Just the one. How long have I been out for?" Alfa asked curiously.

"Um…" Isaac swallowed before spitting it out as quickly as possible. "Three months."

"THREE MONTHS!" Alfa exploded.

"Yes. You're being discharged today. Kellyn and the others are coming to get you. I've told them to come get you on doduo's because I we need to test out the actual muscles and see if they work properly."

-/

A few hours later…

"Guys, why don't you go ahead to the union, I'll catch up in a minute." Alfa said to them as they mounted they're doduos. As soon as the others were a few meters away, Alfa broke out into a full on sprint. He glanced up to see how far behind he had fallen. There was no one in front of him. He looked to his right, where everyone was staring at him from their doduos. He had no idea how far he could go. And there was nothing stopping him.

-/

A few weeks later, after Alfa is back up to times.

Alfa stepped into his new, or rather, old home in Altru Park. Kellyn, Keith, Wendy and Sven were still living there, and now he would take his room back. He couldn't bring himself to live in his old house in Snowbelle city in Kalos. Not after the battle.

Everyone was sitting at the table. It was dinnertime and Alfa had just arrived. His things had been sent there earlier in the day and he had unpacked before going to the union. As he sat down at the dinner table Kellyn started speaking.

"Up until now, I've been heading the union, but it's where you belong." He said.

"Kellyn… I will take the mantle from you. But not now. I'm going off to travel through Hoenn, get to know myself again. When I get back thought, I will take the mantle from you. Don't think I won't." Alfa replied with a smile.

The following week, when Alfa stepped off the train into Hoenn, he knew that he would be himself again after this. Smiling, he set off.


	2. Back To Life

**Chapter 2: Back To Life**

_Alfa stepped onto the boat, interested in what would come next. Steven was standing next to him, the boat driving itself. There was no steering wheel, nor was there a throttle. Alfa guessed that it had been programmed to go to and from one destination only. Steven's secret base. He remembered the day he had first met Steven on South-Cross Island. The two of them had been pushed out of the buggy on the school field trip to the safari zone by the other kids and had fallen into the river:_

_After frantically pulling each other to shore, Steven had introduced himself. They had been about seven at the time._

"_What are we going to do!?" Steven had cried out, starting to panic._

"_Don't worry! I can get us out of here." Alfa had responded, panicking internally at the thought of what might happen to the two of them if this didn't work. He thought hard, focusing on one word: LATIOS. The two of them were lucky. Latios, Later to become Alfa's closest Pokémon friend, had caught Alfa's thought and located them, dragging the two of them out, barely above the trees. That experience had brought the two of them close together, and they were never seen without each other, until Steven moved off to Hoenn._

_Steven's secret base was decorated with steel patterned, steel designed, and the occasional steel object. They had caught up on the times there._

"_I heard that you had died. Frankly, I didn't know what to say when I saw you in Meteor Falls." He said as they sat down with their Pokémon socializing next to each other. Before they left, Alfa told him about the location of his secret base, so that they could leave messages for each other, and meet each other. _

_A few days later, he ran into two kids on their journeys through Hoenn, one aiming to conquer the gyms, and the other aiming to conquer the contest circuit: Ruby and Sapphire. They were interesting kids. Upon re-entering his secret base, Alfa found a package from Steven lying on the glass table. He read the note before opening it:_

'_Dear Alfa, _

_Inside this package are a keystone and a collection of mega stones that I will never use. Mega evolution is an interesting thing. Use them well. You should be able to figure it all out. I'm off to Unova for a while. You'll hear from me soon again. I'm going to propose to Elesa. _

_Use the stones well_

_Steven'_

_After getting over the initial shock that his closest childhood friend was likely to be engaged soon, Alfa opened the package. Inside were small black boxes with the label of the mega stone inside on the front. After sorting out the mega stones and handing the ones which belonged with his Pokémon to them, he had fitted the keystone into his new gear, which was what he called the new version of Ionix. He set out, never expecting what was to come next._

Alfa came back to reality with a start. They were back on Sky Pillar's peak. He let Rayquaza remain here, free to soar the skies, calling out Latios.

"Back home buddy. Back home." Alfa said to Latios, as the sleeker mega evolved form of Latios settled down next to him so that Alfa could climb aboard.

-/

Alfa stepped onto the doormat of number fourteen Altru Park. It was eight in the morning on a Sunday. He knew that one of the people inside the apartment would be awake, but the other three would be asleep. He let himself in using his old key to find Kellyn sitting at the kitchen counter, his laptop in front of him.

"You're back." Kellyn noted, without looking up from his computer.

"What're you doing at this time of the day that's more important than me coming back from Hoenn!?" Alfa exclaimed.

"Wait, What!?" Kellyn exclaimed, getting up. "I thought you were Keith. He went to get a cupcake at four and never came back."

"Knowing him, he probably passed out once he'd finished eating it." Alfa laughed as he met Kellyn in the brotherly embrace that only Keith could turn into a death grip. He stepped into the sunken lounge, wondering what the stairs in the new terrace lead to. As if he had read his mind, Kellyn answered.

"We bought out the lower floor for our Pokemon, you owe us by the way. The stairs lead into their window. We find it simpler than going out of the apartment and down the main stairs. It's also handy in case we misplace the key." Kellyn explained.

"Latios, you heard Kellyn. I'll just bring the others along in a bit." Alfa motioned to Latios. Latios gladly swept into the lower floor with a brief telekinetic message; goodnight, or good morning or whatever, I'm sleeping for a while. If you need to fly call our new buddy.

"So seriously, Keith isn't back yet?" Alfa asked, turning sharply.

"No. You think we should go look for him?" Kellyn replied, closing his notebook and sliding it into his locked shelf on the computer rack. "He might actually be in trouble."

"Let's go. We're going to have to walk to the mall. It's a Sunday, and I checked the car. No fuel." Alfa stated, dropping his bag on the couch and opening the door. All of a sudden, a gunshot sounded, disturbing the tranquility of the quiet Sunday morning in Altru Park.

"What the hell!?" Kellyn exclaimed.

"New strategy. What floor is the bakery on?" Alfa inquired, equipping Sceptile's gear disc.

"Third. Why?" Kellyn asked.

"Okay. You go from inside the mall, approach cautiously, don't let anyone inside see you. I'm going via building roofs. I'll contact you when I can see through one of the windows and I can tell you what's going on. But first, get a Pokemon out. Fast, and stealthy." Alfa replied, launching Sceptile's disc as the mega stone and keystone reacted, bringing about mega Sceptile.

"You can mega evolve your Pokemon?" Kellyn asked, his eyebrow raised inquisitively.

"How do you know about mega evolution!?" Alfa exclaimed.

"I've been studying a lot while you were in Hoenn. Now let's get moving." Kellyn replied, leaving through the front door at breakneck pace. Nodding to Sceptile, Alfa ran through the glass doors and straight over the edge of the balcony leaping onto the roof of a nearby building, testing his new muscle's limits again, Sceptile behind him. Alfa kept running from roof to roof until he reached the building opposite the mall. He hadn't broken a sweat. He squinted into the window of the cupcake shop. There was Keith tied up, and a few other people cowering near the corners, and a man with a gun standing near the counter.

"Sceptile, I'm going in via the window, and I'm going to try and stop that man so that Kellyn can get the doors open. In case everything goes wrong, load up your tail missile with sleep powder and knock him out. If everything goes well, knock him out anyways so that we can take him away safely, got it?" Alfa instructed Sceptile.

As Sceptile nodded, Alfa called Kellyn on his cell.

"Kellyn you read me? Where are you?" Alfa asked down the cellular line.

"I'm hidden outside the bakery, I can see the situation, but they can't see me. Got a plan?" He inquired.

"Yeah, I'm on the roof opposite the bakery. The target's has his back to the window. I'm going to jump through the window, and hopefully onto him. When you see this happen, GET THE DOORS OPEN. If everything goes wrong, Sceptile's up here ready to tranquilize our target. I just have to break the glass first. If everything goes right, Sceptile will tranquilize him when everyone's clear for an easy arrest. I'm going to make my move now, so keep watching." Alfa replied. Shutting his phone and taking a breath. Without hesitating, he ran straight forward and leaped off the edge of the building, crashing through the bakery window. He managed to miss the target's main body, but landed on his gun hand, securing everything immediately. All of a sudden, the man ceased struggling and Alfa noticed a slowly dissolving red missile like tip in his back.

Kellyn rammed open the doors and let everyone out as Sceptile leaped through the window.

"That was quick. Sceptile, cut Keith out will you?" Alfa said, dusting off his hands.

"Thanks guys!" Keith shouted once Sceptile had cut him free.

"Let's get back home." Kellyn suggested, yawning suddenly.

"Yeah, let's." Alfa seconded as the trio headed out and home.

-/

Later that day, back in number 14 Altru Heights.

"Kellyn, there's some mail for you!" Alfa shouted as he picked up the mail. There was one letter for him identical to the one Kellyn had gotten. He handed Kellyn his and sat down on the couch, opening his. There were two papers inside. One was a letter and the other was an invitation. Alfa unfolded the letter reading it first:

'_Alfa! Elesa said yes! I'm getting married! Um… the wedding's not for a while, but to get this over with, um… you're my best man. Kay? The invitation's included in this letter._

_Steven'_

Smiling, Alfa pulled out the invitation card:

_Dear __Alfa__, _

_Steven Stone and Elesa Wilvin hope that you will join them for their wedding on the 31__st__ of January 2015, in Mossdeep City, at number twelve Coast Street. We hope to see you soon, _

_Steven and Elesa_

He went over to Kellyn and put his card next to Kellyn's.

"Steven or Elesa?" Alfa asked briefly.

"I used to live in Unova, next door to Elesa before I went to ranger school. You?" he replied.

"Steven used to live on South-Cross Island as well. We were best friends from the age of seven." Alfa answered. "We'll go together. I have a place we can stay there."

-/

The next day… at Altru Park's stage.

The news channels were swarming the area, not letting anyone but the rangers who pushed them aside get a proper view of the stage.

"People of Almia… No, People of the world, one year and three months ago, I took up the mantle of head of the Ranger Union, but today I am here to pass the mantle along to the rightful head of the Ranger Union. He has survived many catastrophes, suffered more than any of us can imagine, and yet he has survived. This is why, today, I call upon Alfa Snowbelle to take his rightful place as our leader!" Kellyn finished, handing over the badge signifying in charge to Alfa as the cameramen strained to get a good shot of it.

"You would all probably like to know why I didn't just assume this post long ago. Well it started with an attempt by former Team Dim Sun executive Lavana, to continue in their attempt for power again. She attempted to awaken the legendary Pokemon that created all landmasses: Groudon. We, the Ranger Union, stopped this, but as a result, my brother died. That day, I quit the union. After Chairperson Erma's death, Professor Hastings had become a little unhinged. This just made him loose it completely. He laid siege to my home in Kalos. Where I fought him and the might of the entire ranger union off, nearly losing my life in the process. Once I recovered, I travelled through Hoenn, to regain my self-balance, and I now I have assumed my post as head of the Ranger Union." Alfa continued, "And from this day forward, we will all work towards a new Almia, one that isn't ruled by corrupt, greedy, power thirsty, lunatics like Blake Hall, or governed by someone who has gone mad either. An Almia where anything is possible. An Almia, built on honest principles. The Almia of the future!"


	3. Copycats

**Chapter 3: Copycats**

Alfa fell out of his bed, forgetting where he was for a moment. It was New Year's Day, and he had no idea what time it was. Feeling around for his watch on his bedside table, he finally found it, triggering an alarm. Alfa groaned. So it was nine a.m. He sat up pulling back the curtains as he did so. Outside, the sun was hidden behind the clouds and there were distinctive signs of the rain that obscured the sun in Almia for more than half the year.

After getting dressed (which was a pain considering he had still been half awake), Alfa headed out of his room to see if anyone else was still awake. It had been a quiet new year's for number fourteen, that is, compared to their regular celebrations. Keith had managed to fall off the terrace into a shag carpet some movers were carrying out. Alfa smiled as he remembered what a night it had been. He reached the lounge to find Kellyn sitting on the couch, laptop obscuring his vision, and Wendy reading the paper.

"Did you guys hear about the attacks in Unova?" Wendy asked, folding the paper and putting it aside.

"Where in Unova?" Kellyn asked, sharply turning his head away from the notebook in his lap.

"Near Mistralton. Why?" Wendy enquired.

"My parents live there." Kellyn answered grimly, folding away the notebook and leaving the lounge. When he came back there was a bag over his shoulder.

"I'm requesting an immediate dispatch to Unova to resolve these attacks." Kellyn asked quietly.

"Repack. Pack for Hoenn as well. You and I are going to Unova to put an end to this, then we're going straight to Hoenn. Wendy, Sven's in charge while I'm gone." Alfa replied, heading for his own room to pack. Around six hours later, he and Kellyn were standing in the airport waiting for Skyla's plane to arrive. She was taking them back with her to Unova along with a shipment of, well, Alfa didn't exactly know what. All of a sudden, Kellyn turned his eyes up and Alfa followed his gaze to see an enormous jet making its way towards the runway outside the window, the Unova region standard painted on both sides.

"That's her." Kellyn stated, moving towards the gate. He and Alfa made their way into the jet where Skyla was waiting for them in the cabin.

"Hello boys, and welcome to Mistralton Cargo Service!" Skyla greeted them, stepping out of one of the few seats there. "I'm just going to have something to drink before we take off and we should land in Unova at midnight local time."

"Not alcohol before flying I hope Sky?" Kellyn joked.

"No, you know me well enough to know I would never do that. But maybe we could have some over dinner once you're done with your work." She smiled, heading off to the cockpit.

Once the plane was in the air, Alfa decided to sate his curiosity by asking Kellyn.

"Just how many people in Unova do you know?" Alfa inquired, interested in what the answer would be.

"Nearly everybody of importance." Kellyn replied, closing his eyes to think.

-/

Mistralton City Airport, Unova Region, 12:00 A.M. Local Time,

Alfa stepped onto the tarmac and headed towards the terminal, his backpack on one shoulder. He heard bits of a conversation between Kellyn and Skyla as he turned to see where Kellyn was.

"… So call me when you're done. Okay?" Skyla said to Kellyn, kissing him on the cheek as the smiled and nodded.

Alfa turned around and pretended he had heard nothing. It had clearly been a private conversation. He just stood there waiting for Kellyn to catch up. Once he had caught up the two of them headed out. Kellyn guided him through the city, straight to a three story house near the edges of the city. He rang the doorbell and a little girl of about ten ran out and hugged him.

"MOM! KELLYN'S HOME!" she shouted, taking Kellyn by the hand and dragging him into the house. Alfa followed him quietly, not knowing what to expect. As he passed through the hallway, they entered a brightly lit room with a warm fire burning in the fireplace, and two adults who could only have been Kellyn's parents sitting by it.

'Kellyn dear! How are you? It's been quite a while!" His mother began. She had brown hair, which matched her eyes and a kind smile lit up her face. Alfa had seen that smile often enough. It was the same one Kellyn had when he was feeling happy.

"We got your message. Everything's fine here. At least, for us it is." His father continued.

"You're sure nothing's happened to you three, or the house, or anything that matters for that matter?" Kellyn asked, looking at his parents worryingly.

"No no dear. In this household, everything is still perfectly fine. Why don't we sit down for some hot cocoa and maybe take a few cookies out of the jar. And how come you haven't introduced us to your friend?" his mother finished, gesturing towards Alfa who had been standing there quietly the whole time. Kellyn's face turned a shade of bright red that he had only ever seen on Keith's face before.

"Um… I. I was caught up worrying about you three. In any case, this is Alfa. Alfa these are my parents, Jane and James Alaric, and this is my little sister, Amy." Kellyn said, hoisting his little sister up onto his left shoulder.

"Thank you so much for your hospitality. Kellyn's been a good friend, my best friend recently. As is our duty as rangers, we will work our hardest to ensure that the attacks on Mistralton stop." Alfa stated, smiling slightly.

"Enough of your work nonsense! You've been on a plane for six hours now. Off to bed both of you!" Mrs. Alaric stated.

-/

Two days later, with no headway whatsoever made into the matter of the attacks

Kellyn moved forward and slammed into the stone at full speed, from the side of the stone. Alfa joined him in his effort and finally, they managed to move the stone enough for them to slip through one by one. It had been Kellyn who had discovered the hollow rock on the way to Driftveil City. They had decided to explore a little outside the city. The duo slipped through and immediately fell onto a metal platform around ten feet down. Alfa groaned mentally and sat up, pulling himself to his feet after a second. There was no way out. They were trapped. But there had to be some way. Metal platforms didn't just appear underground.

All of a sudden, one of the rock walls surrounding them vanished and they found themselves facing two scrawny teens in Team Plasma uniforms. Before Alfa even had time to think, Kellyn struck and both of the teens were on the floor unconscious.

"Damn." Alfa whispered, "I never knew you could do that!"

"Let's keep moving." Kellyn replied. They made their way through a simple building, after swiping the key card that one of the two teenagers had had in his hand. They reached an observatory, looking down upon a laboratory. There was a three dimensional hologram of a Ho-oh destroying a town. And sitting in two separate cage forced to watch were a Zoroark and a Zorua. Alfa noticed that next to the Ho-oh there was also an Entei wreaking havoc. And sitting in the corner of the room, (in reality) in the most heavily guarded cage, was an old Zoroark.

"Whoever's in charge of this joint is blackmailing these two into attacking Mistralton. No wonder the city isn't destroyed yet." Kellyn whispered.

"I'm calling out Sceptile, Blaziken and Swampert, you have a Pokemon on you right?" Alfa whispered back.

"Yeah, Rampardos." Kellyn replied.

"Okay, on three we get the glass, I'll go for the cages and the projectors, and you go for the idiots on charge of this joint. Okay?" Alfa asked.

"Yeah, 1." Kellyn began

"3!" Alfa shouted, no longer bothering with whispered words as Mega Blaziken, Mega Swampert and Rampardos shattered the observatory window glass and leaped into the lab, Mega Sceptile already ahead of them, aiming for the old Zoroark's cage.

Within minutes, the Zoroarks and the Zorua were free and Alfa turned his attention to the man in charge of the lab: Ghetis, one of the seven sages of the disbanded Team Plasma. Making a running charge, Alfa ran straight for him, his head down, grabbed him by the neck and leaped up, slamming him into the wall ten feet high. Somehow Alfa managed to find a foot hold and just held him there while Kellyn climbed up and bound him.

-/

"These guys are a real bunch of copycats, aren't they?" Alfa laughed as they released Zorua and the two Zoroarks into the wild, heading for the Airport to head off for Hoenn.

"They sure are." Kellyn replied. "They sure are."


	4. A Race Against A Rocket

**Chapter 4: A Race Against A Rocket**

Alfa stepped out onto the tarmac at Nimbasa City's airfield, looking up at the skies. Stark white clouds were blocking the sun partially, and Alfa found himself ready to sing for some reason. He turned around to see the same jet with the two Unova standards parked near the hangar at the end. Elesa, Skyla and Kellyn were approaching the plane, so he too turned and headed straight for it.

He climbed through the doorway, heading for one of the three seats at the front. He had just sat down and pulled out a book from his bag, when Skyla tripped and crashed in front of him on her way into the cockpit. Kellyn ran forward, ditching his bag, to help her up.

"Are you okay? What happened there?" Kellyn asked once he had set Skyla down on a seat, an extremely worried expression decorating his face.

"Actually I'm not feeling that well, I'm a bit dizzy, and I'm not sure which way is up or down right now." Skyla replied, and she actually did look sick. A faint smile crossed Alfa's face before vanishing as Elesa strode up.

"What are we going to do!? The weddings in two days and there are no flights to Hoenn for another week!" she cried out, going into a state of total panic. Alfa put his hand on her shoulder, stepping forward.

"Relax, I think I know what to do." He said holding Elesa still for a second.

"Really. And what might that be? It's not like you're a pilot." She snapped. Alfa had expected that. After all, if she didn't get to Hoenn, she would miss her wedding.

"Well, actually, I am a certified pilot, and Hoenn airspace knows that. Just something I did while I was there. Winowna put me up to it actually. But Kellyn's going to have to keep a close eye on Skyla." Alfa said, releasing Elesa's shoulder and heading for the cockpit.

"Really dude? And why didn't you tell us earlier?" Kellyn asked, half confused half worried.

"Don't worry bro, just take care of Skyla, she might need your help soon." Alfa said kindly, putting his hand on Kellyn's shoulder for a minute before continuing on to the cockpit. "I'll deal with getting to Hoenn."

-/

Later, in the air, near Mossdeep City Space Center's airfield

Alfa stretched his left arm for a minute, holding the steering straight with his right arm, then doing the same with the other arm. He yawned for a second, relieving his ears of the pressure that flying brought about and suddenly caught a bit of a conversation. He set the plane to the fifteen minute auto pilot system so he could stretch properly and freshen up. He entered the cabin for a second, and he saw Skyla talking to Kellyn, both too focused on each other to pay attention to him. Elesa was sleeping in her seat nearby.

"Skyla, are you sure you're okay? I mean, what If you're too sick to come to the wedding?" Kellyn asked her worriedly, the same expression on his face that had been there when he first picked Skyla up.

"Don't worry, you've been taking care of me and I'm feeling much better now." She said, sitting up. "Well enough to do this." She finished, pulling herself up and kissing Kellyn. Alfa turned around and headed straight for the cockpit again, deciding to make his announcement over the speaker to not make the moment awkward.

He sat back down in the pilot's seat, pulling the intercom speaker down to his face.

"No formalities. We're going to land in about five minutes. You know, just a friendly tip." Alfa announced over the speaker.

-/

Half an hour later, at the entrance to Mossdeep Grand Hotel.

Alfa stepped out of the doors, stretching his arms. Sunset was approaching fast and the sun was vanishing behind Mount Chimney in the back ground, Wingulls flying over the coast to roost in trees for the night.

Kellyn had decided to stay at the Hotel with Skyla and Elesa in case Skyla fell ill again. Alfa smiled, thinking of his secret base and how nice it would be to lie down in his bed and just sleep. He cleared his head for a second before calling out Latios.

'We're going to the base buddy, you remember where it is right?' Alfa thought.

'Yes, don't send me back when we get there, I know you're going to have to fly again and I'd rather stay here.' Latios replied with traces of a wry smile on his face.

'Let's go.' Alfa thought, climbing onto Latios's back as the eon Pokemon took off and soared through the twilight skies of Hoenn to Alfa's secret base.

-/

The next morning,

Alfa fell out of his bed onto the cushions next to it. He woke up with a start, not remembering where he was for a moment. He sat up, confused for a second as to why he was in his secret base in Hoenn, before remembering that he had arrived the previous night and was here for Steven's wedding. He glanced over at Latios who was asleep in the corner, then at his watch on the table behind his bed, craning his neck to see the dial. It was six in the morning. Alfa got up, yawning. Considering he didn't have a window, Alfa had stuck a camera on the outside of the base and a display unit where he would have liked the window to be. He walked over to it and turned it on.

After a minute or so, a nice cloudy, but not dark, day was visible outside, and he could see the breeze blowing because of the gently swaying trees. Smiling, he took in the tranquility and peace of the scene. What he would have given to wake up to this every day. Sadly the only day it was ever calm in Almia was a Sunday. Alfa walked towards Latios, stopping all of a sudden as something pinched his bare foot.

Mentally cursing, Alfa lifted his foot, which was tensed, and found a sharp pebble stuck in it. He pulled it out, throwing it in the trash can, and continued to Latios. Waking the Jet like Pokemon up, he pulled the previous night's pizza's, which he had picked up on his way to the base, leftover's eating them for breakfast, considering his cabinets were still empty. A message from Steven was waiting for him on his phone.

_Problems with locations, changed it to roof of Battle Tower in Battle Frontier. Same time. Meet me in Mossdeep today, trouble brewing, need help, shouldn't be too hard though._

Alfa closed the message, his mind stuck on what this trouble could be. Realizing that he was likely to get nowhere, he stepped back into the sectioned off bedroom after washing up and getting dressed to pick up his gear. Gear strapped to his arm, Alfa called Latios and set out for Mossdeep City. Around half an hour later, he landed opposite the Mossdeep Grand Hotel.

Stepping inside, he walked towards the concierge.

"How may I help you sir? Perhaps a map of the city? Or a maybe a tour guide?" The smiling man said. Alfa took a moment to examine him before answering him. He was average height, around forty, neatly dressed with a few grays visible in his brown hair.

"No thank you." Alfa replied. "I know the city like the back of my hand. I just need to leave a message for a friend staying here. Could I have a piece of paper, and then could you have it sent to his room."

"Certainly. Here, why don't you write the message down," He began, handing Alfa a slip of paper and a red pen, " and leave your friend's name, room number and your name on the paper, and I will see to it that it is delivered."

"Thank you." Alfa replied, scribbling down a note to Kellyn

Kellyn Alaric, room 1428 w/ Skyla Silverton

Spend a day with Skyla (I get the feeling she really likes you. ;) I'm taking care of some stuff with Steven, if I need help, I'll call your cell. Have fun, Alfa.

He folded the note over and handed to the concierge, leaving the hotel, and made his way to Steven's house where he knew Steven was waiting. He reached the edge of the mass of earth that sat in the middle of a ring of sand, walking along it to Steven's house, the light breeze ruffling his hair. Once he had reached the large modern house which he knew belonged to Steven, he knocked on the door twice, waiting for him to open it.

The massive glass and steel doors swung open to reveal Steven standing in the doorway.

"Hey! Alfa! Morning! Let's go inside." Steven greeted Alfa enthusiastically, ushering him inside. Alfa glanced around as they made their way to the lounge facing out to sea. The hall was decorated with banner bearing the Hoenn coat of arms and the Pokemon League crest, the only lighting coming from lights set in the walls behind the banner and a few colored lights in the roof. But the most intriguing thing was the floor. There was one line of steel, wide enough for both his feet to fit on it, marking paths, in each hallway they passed, and the rest was tempered glass with water running under it.

They reached the lounge, which had the same flooring, which Alfa assumed all the ground floor had. Two matching white couches and a few green chairs, with one black recliner in the midst, surrounded a glass coffee table in front of the flat screen television. On the other side of the room was a marble counter with a kitchenette behind it, and chairs against it. The side facing out to sea was entirely a window. Once they had sat down, Steven began speaking again.

"You got my message about the relocation of the wedding right?" Steven inquired, picking up a cup of coffee that was already on the table. "Do you want some?"

"No thanks, I've eaten, and yeah, I got the message." Alfa replied.

"Well, you see, the reason we had to relocate was that Mossdeep Space Center is launching a rocket, right around the time of the ceremony, and that's going to cause a massive disturbance to our wedding. And now we also have reason to believe that an ex-Team Magma admin is going to hijack the rocket. We don't know when, why, how or if it's even true. But it's likely that it is going to happen, so we're taking no chances. Tabitha has been given a higher security guard at Rustboro prison, but we don't know where Courtney is. Or even Blaise for that matter" Steven explained worriedly, getting up and pacing in front of the window-wall, "Therefore I am going to stand guard over the rocket's only entrance, and I'm asking you for help." He finished, turning his head towards Alfa.

"No problem. It's my duty to protect the world anyways." Alfa replied with a slight smile. "Let's head over now."

-/

The next day, when the previous had passed with no threats, around the time that Steven would have reached the battle tower for his wedding preparations.

Alfa was standing on the metal walkway to the only entrance of the rocket, looking at the door from the Space Center, fifty feet from the ground. The automatic glass doors opened and Steven came running through them.

"She's already inside the rocket! We need to stop her!" He shouted, whipping towards Alfa. He himself turned and ran towards the rocket with all the speed his synthetic muscles could provide, but he was too late. The door was internally sealed and Alfa looked through its window to see the woman he recognized from reports as Courtney, smiling back at him devilishly. Alfa realized what was about to happen and stopped in his tracks. He grabbed Steven as he reached Alfa and threw the two of them back down the walkway and through the blast doors, hitting the launch seal button once they were inside.

He watched through the glass wall as the rocket ascended diagonally until it was horizontal, and for a minute, Alfa thought she was going to crash before remembering the reason why this rocket launch was to be recorded in History.

It was the first rocket that had the dual functionality of being able to fly like a normal passenger plane while still in the earth's atmosphere, eliminating the fifty percent landing crash risk. It was headed to a meteorite headed in track to collide slightly with mars. They had planned on landing it like a plane and activating the drill at the front as it rammed into a rock face from which they needed samples.

Courtney wanted to destroy something, and she had the perfect weapon at hand. Alfa pulled Steven to his feet running towards the stairs, Steven following. Alfa pulled his cell out of his pocket, dialing Kellyn as he ran down from the fifth floor.

"Kellyn! Where are you?" Alfa shouted down the line to be heard over all the commotion in the center.

"I'm with Skyla and Elesa at the wedding. What's going on? Where's Steven?" he replied.

"Steven's with me, he'll be in time for the wedding, max a few minutes late. You've heard about Catalina 5 right? Courtney's controlling it, and she's going to attack somewhere in Hoenn, we don't know where. Go to the roof of the tower and stand guard with enough force to destroy the rocket. And keep a method of movement in case she attacks elsewhere nearby. Don't tell anyone else, and don't cause a panic." Alfa instructed as he swung onto Latios, Steven on Skarmory next to him.

The duo took to the air, Latios flying at full speed, trying to keep up with the rocket.

'Latios, call Latias, Steven need's to keep up as well.' Alfa thought feeling a click and signals in Latios's mind. A few minutes later, over Fortree city, Steven came parallel to Alfa on Latios as they chased the rocket, struggling constantly to keep it in their sight as it swerved and turned in every direction.

'I can see some information on the computer.' Latios thought.

'Since when can you do that!?' Alfa thought back.

'That's irrelevant. There's an auto flight target. She's aiming for the battle tower, right now she's just trying to tire us. I'm going to try something. Latias is going to keep chasing though. I've shared this with her, and she pierced the girl's mind, if we give up chase, she'll pick a new target.' Latios thought, focusing suddenly on one point in the air.

Alfa detected a surge of energy from Latios, and in front of them a swirling blue vortex swallowed them up before Alfa could react. Everything went dark for a few seconds, then they re-emerged, above the battle frontier. Alfa could sense that Latios had nearly depleted its energy reserves and the minute they landed on the roof of the battle tower, Alfa moved him to the side. Kellyn turned to him, a mass of Pokemon by his side.

"Not enough. I'll take care of this." Alfa cut him off before he could even begin. He ran through the chairs in the seating area and straight off the other side of the battle tower.

-/

A few minutes later….

The rocket flew straight at the center of the tower, unbarred by anything. Courtney looked out the window on the head of the rocket. Apparently there was a wedding at the top of the tower. A ranger was stationed there with some Pokemon, but she knew it wasn't going to be enough to destroy the rocket.

All of a sudden, Alfa came to the front of the building riding none other than Mega Rayquaza. Before Courtney could react, a single piercing beam of energy escaped from Rayquaza's mouth, destroying the rocket in its path. With that Alfa leaped off Rayquaza, sending it back to Sky Pillar, before the aftershock of the dragon pulse hit him, knocking him onto his side, draining him off all the strength in his body.

His vision was blurred slightly, but he could still see what was going on. Kellyn was standing at the edge of the tower, styler out, and Courtney had leaped from the disintegrating rocket, a knife in her hand, aiming straight for Kellyn.


	5. The Confession

**Chapter 5: The Confession**

Alfa's vision was slightly blurred, but he could still see what was going on. He lay weakly on his side as Courtney soared through the air, knife in hand, aimed at Kellyn's chest. Alfa heard a shout, no definitive words in it, but filled with rage and hatred, he tried to move and collapsed back on his side as Skyla weaved through the chairs and raced up to the edge, leaping and wrapping her hands around Courtney's neck, slamming her into the ground and saving Kellyn.

"NO YOU B****!" SHE screamed, drowning out every other sound. Alfa pushed harder and managed to pull himself onto his knees, taking in the scene around him. The hallway behind the stage was open and Steven was walking through it, Kellyn was lying on the floor in a move to avoid the knife, and Skyla was pinning Courtney to the ground by her throat. Courtney herself was turning purple in the face. Alfa pulled himself to his feet, amazed once again at the sheer power Rayquaza possessed.

"Skyla, I'll take this." Alfa said quietly, placing a hand on her shoulder. Realizing what she was doing, Skyla released Courtney, who in that one moment of freedom, tried to slip away. Unfortunately for her, though Alfa was tired, his superior physique allowed him to grab her before she had even moved an inch away and pin her to the wall of the elevator hall. He was holding her up by her neck in a way that allowed her to breathe and talk, but not move. Her legs and arms, well, he had to rely on duct tape to hold those to the wall.

"What's to stop me from slitting your throat?" Alfa asked, Courtney's knife in his hand, his tone cold as snow, his head tilted to one side as if he was contemplating actually doing it.

"Your conscience." Courtney answered, laughing dryly. "You couldn't bear having taken a life. I know what it's like. And I enjoy it. You on the other hand, would go mad."

Alfa swore mentally, one of his only ways of inducing fear gone. What else could he do? Then a guest stood up and walked towards Alfa. At first he didn't recognize his face, before realizing that it was Lucian, of the Sinnoh Elite Four.

"You need her to co-operate, don't you Alfa?" he asked, turning to him.

"What do you have in mind?" Alfa retaliated.

"It's not what I have in my mind that's consequential, rather what is in Courtney's mind." He replied as Courtney's eyes widened. "I seem to have struck a nerve." He finished, seeing Courtney's expression.

"Go ahead." Alfa said, moving to one side.

"Alakazam! Bend her to your will!" Lucian exclaimed as he sent out his Alakazam. The psychic type's eyes immediately began to glow, as did Courtney's.

"Hold of the pre-frontal cortex." Lucian stated, Alakazam nodding in reply. "Question her." He finished, turning to Alfa.

"Why were you inside the rocket?" Alfa inquired.

"I wanted to kill as many people as possible. It was part of Maxie's dream. He very well knew that he could easily have achieved an increased land mass without primally reverting Groudon. But his scientific side was absorbed by the possibility of being able to study the dawn of humanity properly by wiping out the rest of the world." She answered, the same blank expression on her face.

"How did you get onto the rocket?" Alfa asked, not knowing what to expect as an answer.

"I know a man who works in the factory where they made the parts for the rocket. When I found out about it, I asked him to sneak me into one of the pieces before they were delivered. I've been secretly living in the rocket for four months now. I was delivered in the fuselage." She replied, explaining why the rocket had already taken off without anyone else entering it.

Alfa registered that, making a mental note to track down the person who shipped Courtney to Mossdeep and have him thrown in a cell. Kellyn slowly stood up and walked over to Alfa as though he was unsure on his feet.

"Kellyn, you okay?" Alfa asked, spinning around.

"I'm fine." He grimaced slightly. "Anything I can do?"

"Get one of the frontier brains here so we can lock her up." Alfa requested, as Kellyn nodded and headed off to find one of them.

"Actually, Kellyn wait. Go tell Elesa to get ready, forget getting one of the brains." Alfa decided, turning to Lucian, who looked as though he wanted to say something.

Alfa turned to Lucian as Kellyn walked away, Skyla fixing her dress and following him.

"What's wrong?" Alfa asked him quietly.

"When I release Courtney, she will never remember anything from the start of team magma onwards. You see, there was a hypnotic state planted in her mind, which Alakazam broke, and dove into as well. Everyone in team magma, including Maxie, was being controlled by Blaise. He believed that if he set someone else up as a leader, he wouldn't have such consequences if he was captured as Maxie would. And again, he was the one who planted this fake dream of Maxie's in Courtney's mind. It was his dream, and his backup plan. He went around the world picking up random people to hypnotize and assigned them ranks in team magma and cut off their previous lives. Courtney will remember who she originally was when she wakes up. There's a good chance that this isn't over and that Blaise will attempt to strike again." Lucian explained with worried expression.

"Can you put her to sleep for a few hours, I'll deal with it later. Maybe put her in one of the battle tower's rest rooms. Right now we have a wedding to attend." Alfa replied, moving away as Lucian instructed Alakazam to take Courtney away for the time being.

Alfa moved towards the stage where he would take his place behind Steven, slightly worried, but trying to put everything aside for his best friend's wedding. Music started playing and Elesa walked out from the back of the aisle and moved towards the stage slowly, Skyla trailing behind her. Alfa smiled, because regardless of what had happened, it was a day to be happy.

-/

At the wedding dinner, later that day…..

Alfa moved towards the table along the wall to get a glass of water, absorbed by when and where Blaise could strike next when Skyla walked up to him under the pretense of getting a drink.

"Thank you. For flying the jet. Though I actually didn't expect to be sick." She confessed, winking as she walked away with a glass of champagne in her hand, heading straight for Kellyn. Alfa smiled as he remembered how she had asked him to fly the plane, explaining that she couldn't actually think of anything but Kellyn.

-/

Later, in the room where Courtney was sleeping….

Alfa, Steven and Lucian walked inside, closing the metal door behind them. Courtney was stirring. Alfa pulled a chair up to the bed and sat down, Lucian and Steven sitting down on the couch behind him. Slowly Courtney woke up, rubbing her left eye with the sleeve of the red shirt she was in, reaching into her jeans pocket instinctively.

"Alfa, is that you?" She asked, rubbing her left eye.

"What's your name? And what's the last thing you remember?" Alfa asked her.

"I remember a skinny blond boy walking up to me outside the airport when I arrived back in Almia. Don't you remember me Alfa? It's me; Courtney Savon."


	6. Awakening

**Chapter 6: Awakening**

_Alfa froze for a moment not knowing how to react. Then before Lucian or Steven could say anything, he wrapped his arms around Courtney, embracing her, for she had been one of his two closest friends on South-Cross Island. Alfa had met her after Steven had moved away to Hoenn. Alfa had met her briefly after he had returned from Ranger School before she moved away to Almia. She had been the only person in the school who wasn't scared of him because he had escaped from the Safari zone unscathed. She hadn't been in the school at the time, but she had heard about it._

"_Alfa, what's going on? What's happened to my hair? Where am I?" She asked him, more confused than he had been at first. And so Alfa had explained it to her._

All of a sudden, Alfa came back to reality with a sharp pain on the left side of his face. Wendy and Kellyn were standing in front of him. He himself was sitting in the swivel chair, facing away from his desk, looking at Wendy who had a stern expression on her face, and Kellyn, who was looking very sheepish.

"I didn't know what else to do. We had to get you back to reality, its Internship weekend!" Kellyn explained, grinning sheepishly.

"Isn't that for the ranger students?" Alfa asked, as Wendy walked away.

"You keep forgetting don't you? The kids who graduate this year go to Ranger bases to see what it's like for the weekend, and the previous year's graduates, fresh rangers, spend the weekend under the wing of two top ranger assigned to their groups to light a fire in them so that they work harder. You and I are leading a group through the Relic Castle in Unova." Kellyn explained, sighing.

"Oh that. I've got my gear ready, I'm just going up to visit Courtney before we go." Alfa replied, heading out of is room and into the corridor of the apartment Complex. It wasn't much of a corridor anymore. Each floor had three rooms, all facing one side, towards the city, and there was an Elevator to one side of the corridor outside all three of them, above the parking lot. Alfa, Kellyn, Keith, Sven and Wendy owned all the apartments on the fourth and fifth floors. They had expanded and destroyed the corridor on their floors. The Elevator opened into the enormous apartment where they all lived which they had decided to keep one number; 14, for. The fourth floor was completely bypassed, access being by the terrace staircase from their complex apartment.

Alfa stepped into the Elevator, going one floor up, to where Courtney lived, in apartment seventeen, knocking on her door, his mind busy deep in thought. Courtney opened the door, back to how Alfa remembered her from his childhood. Her hair blond, standing in the doorway with no makeup, her blue eyes sparkling, and a smile adorned on her face.

"Alfa!" she exclaimed, hugging him so tightly that even he couldn't do anything. They had become very close ever since she had regained her memory. It had taken her a quite a while to calm down after she had heard what she had done, but she had recovered. She was planning to move into their apartment, to a new room. Ice's room had been removed, and a new room constructed while Alfa had been in Hoenn the first time, as Kellyn had suspected that it would be too painful for Alfa after being separated from him again. And he had been right. The two nights he had been there while Ice's room still existed, he couldn't take his mind off it.

"Hi Courtney. How's the packing up going?" Alfa asked her, wrapping his arms around her as well; the only motion her could make while she was hugging him.

"I'm nearly done." She said, releasing him. "What's up?"

"I've got to go Unova for the weekend with Kellyn and some new Rangers. Some internship thingy." Alfa explained.

"Well, when you get back, I'll be in the room next to yours. So stay safe." She told him, kissing him on the cheek before Alfa stepped out and moved towards the elevator.

"See you in a few days." Alfa called out.

"See you soon." Courtney replied, as the elevator doors opened and Alfa stepped into it, heading to the ground floor where Kellyn was waiting for him, happy right down to the core of his very being. Literally nothing could have changed his mood.

-/

At the peak of Altru Tower, half an hour later…..

Alfa and Kellyn stood with their backs to the Luminous Crystal, six Staraptor behind them. The elevator on both sides opened up and five young rangers stepped out, heading towards Kellyn and Alfa. Three girls and two boys. Realizing that they were in presence of the head of the ranger union and the second in command, they all lined up in attention, their faces betraying fright. Alfa and Kellyn burst out laughing, the rangers' expression shifting from mild fright to extreme confusion.

"It's okay, there's no need to be scared. Just relax." Kellyn laughed, and slowly, the five young rangers all relaxed.

"Okay, then. I'm Alfa, as you should know, I'm the head of The Ranger Union, and this is Kellyn, one of our top rangers, in both senses." Alfa began. "To start off, why don't you all tell us your full names, ages, partner Pokemon, and rank turn by turn?"

"Why don't you start?" Kellyn finished, gesturing to one of the boys, a thin kid with red hair, freckles, brown eyes and a Cranidos holding on to one of his legs.

"Um… m-my n-name is Percy Beltane. This is Cranidos. I'm fourteen, and I'm rank Silver Three." The boy stammered.

A girl with pink hair, and pink eyes went next.

"I'm Vinay, this is Tailow, I'm fourteen and I'm rank Silver Three." Vinay introduced herself.

Next a girl with green eyes and blonde hair introduced herself as Celia; "I'm Celia, I'm fourteen, this is Poocheyena, and I'm Silver Five."

Second to last, a girl with long brown hair violet eyes and a Kadabra behind herself; "My name is Lucy Colton, I'm fourteen, this is Kadabra, And I'm Silver Seven." She said, leading to gasps from all but one of the other rangers next to her.

"And you?" Alfa asked a boy with brown hair, violet eyes and a Combusken and a Servine by his side.

"My name is Levian Colton, Lev for short, I'm Fourteen, and these are Servine and Combusken, and I'm Gold 1." He introduced himself to loud gasps from all but Lucy, whom Alfa suspected was his sister.

"Well you sure are close to joining us at the union Lev. You should familiarize yourselves with these Pokemon behind us, considering that they'll be with us all weekend." Kellyn stated. Moving aside to reveal Empoleon and Rampardos standing behind him. Alfa moved aside as well revealing Sceptile, Blaziken and Swampert.

"My last Pokemon will join us soon." Alfa remarked, "Now all of you are allowed to fly with supervision from someone Diamond 1 or above, so we'll be going to The Relic Castle by air. Capture a Staraptor and we'll take off."

Once they were done capturing the Staraptor, Kellyn included, Alfa was about to give the order for take-off when Celia raised her hand.

"Yes Celia?" Kellyn inquired.

"We're one Staraptor short." She said briefly.

"No we're not." Alfa replied, "Because, my first partner Pokemon, was Latios." He finished, as Latios soared down from above, grabbing Alfa and tossing him up onto its back.

"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! GET UP HERE!" Alfa shouted over the winds above the tower, laughing at the rangers on the roof as Kellyn soared into the sky next to him.

"LEAD AWAY!" Kellyn shouted back as the five younger rangers flew up into the air behind them. Soon they were well en-route to Unova, so Kellyn tossed Alfa something. Alfa reached out for it and missed it, but Latios caught it in its hand, handing it to Alfa. Examining it, Alfa realized that it was a set of headphones. He placed them over his head, blocking out the sound of the wind. He wiped his visor clear, frost was slowly gathering on it, and looked over to Kellyn who was gesturing a three with his fingers. Moving the dial on the side to 3, he started talking to Kellyn.

"So, what's up?" Alfa asked him.

"Not much. You?" Kellyn replied, sounding thoroughly bored at the moment.

"Same. Seen Skyla recently?" Alfa asked, mention the Unova gym leader in love with Kellyn.

"No, but I'm flying back to Almia with her. She's staying in Altru Grand for two weeks, work I think." Kellyn answered, his mind momentarily diverting to his girlfriend.

"Are we nearly there yet?" Alfa inquired, turning his mind to Latios.

"Yes, just a few more minutes. We were lucky, there's a tailwind blowing right now. It's going to be a pain to get back to Almia if it's still blowing at this strength on Monday. I'm switching to open channel and taking the lead for landing, K?" Kellyn replied, putting his hand on his headset and moving the dial to the eighth switch.

Alfa noted this and mimicked him in time to hear the conversation start.

"Okay guys, we're a few minutes away from Nimbasa city, and since Unova is my home turf, I'll be leading from here on out. We'll be making a slow descent into the amusement park's empty field, where on formality, we will be greeted by the Nimbasa city gym leader, Elesa. Form a single file flight and we'll land one after another. Release your Staraptor as soon as you land and move out of the way. I'll pick this conversation up again later on ground, so form the flight line now!" Kellyn explained to the group as he moved forward.

The younger rangers filled up the gaps and formed a line in the air, with Alfa at the tail, slowly curving downwards and to the left as Kellyn brought them into a slowly spiraling descent, giving them a mesmerizing view of Nimbasa city at night.

Alfa checked his watch as they moved continuously downwards; 7:42 P.M. Unova time. He straightened up as did the line just realizing that they were only twenty feet from the ground now.

'You tired? Or is it just me?' Alfa thought, the thought being directed towards Latios.

'No, not really, my left hand is asleep though.' Latios replied, shaking his left hand about in an attempt to wake it up before landing. A few moments later, they were a meter from the ground. Alfa leaped off Latios, sending a silicon ring into the air from his gear, which expanded around Latios, the dragon not coming out the other end. He hit the ground feet first, immediately pushing one hand against the ground to spread the impact. He looked around, noticing that the other rangers, with the exception of Kellyn, were still dizzy. He walked up to Kellyn and stood next to him as the younger rangers steadied themselves, his eyes focused on two moving figures coming closer every second. The moment it became clear who they were, Kellyn broke out into a run, making straight for the second figure, who was also running.

Alfa remained rooted to the spot as Kellyn lifted Skyla up, embracing her. Alfa couldn't exactly make out the rest of what was going on, so he focused on Elesa who was smiling, a few feet away from Alfa at this point. Alfa moved towards her and she hugged him in an older sister way.

"How are you?" Alfa began, speaking to one of two girls he knew who were nearly as tall as he was.

"I'm fine, how are you?" Elesa replied, smiling happily. Noting the new headphones around her neck, Alfa began to speak again.

"I'm great. I've met someone. How's Steven?" Alfa answered, inquiring about one of his best friends.

"He's fine, in fact, Skyla, Steven and I are coming to Almia on Monday for a while, and then, you're going to introduce me to this girl." Elesa laughed. "In fact, why don't you all fly back with us?"

"That would be great, in fact, there's an apartment for letting one floor above ours. I'll speak to the owner, and you can use it for your stay, or if you want a vacation apartment, you can buy it." Alfa replied. "But for now, I think, I'm going to have to say good night, because we've got to take the younger rangers to the hotel, get some dinner, and sleep. We have got work to do after all."

"We depart midday on Monday, so I'll see you all then." Elesa remarked as she set off, greeting Kellyn on her way, taking Skyla with her. Kellyn walked back to Alfa and the group, smiling.

"Okay everybody!" Alfa shouted, getting the attention of the five rangers who had been chatting amongst themselves. "We're going to head off to the hotel and then get some dinner. Try not to stay up to late after dinner because we're leaving at seven in the morning, sharp."

"Excuse me, sir? If we're staying in a hotel, why do we have all this camping gear and supplies?" Percy asked Kellyn.

"Okay, first off, you don't address either of us as sir. You either address us as Ranger Kellyn or Ranger Alfa. And secondly, once we get to Relic Castle, we're staying there until our job is done." Kellyn corrected him, setting off in the direction of the road. "Now let's go."

-/

The next morning, at 8 A.M. precisely, outside the Relic Castle…

"Okay, listen up everyone!" Kellyn called out to the group, bringing them to attention. "I know this place like the back of my hand, so don't disobey my instructions inside, or you could get seriously injured."

He continued talking, his expression grim. "Our job here is to calm the Volcarona in above the Throne room of the castle. It's a long route to get there, and since the castle is half filled with sand, we can't take the direct route. This castle is three times bigger than Almia Castle in the north, so be careful. Now let's go!"

Kellyn set off towards the open entrance, walking in without any hesitation. They walked past a group of tourists inside the entrance, confused. Kellyn walked towards a locked gate on one side, where a man with a large key around his neck was sitting by the wall, playing games on his cellphone.

"Ranger Kellyn Alaric, Union Official." He stated to the man, who registered that in a notebook before unlocking the door and letting him through.

"What was that about Ranger Kellyn?" Lucy asked him, slightly confused.

"That man is the gate keeper for the castle. Beyond this point it gets extremely dangerous, so tourists aren't allowed through. He can tell if you're strong and smart enough to survive in here and if you are, will allow you in if you have proper identification or prior notification." Kellyn explained, stepping forward, Rampardos behind him.

He moved forward, taking the path to the left, which Alfa guessed lead to what would once have been a display room. He passed through the doorway after the younger rangers, to find that he hadn't been wrong. He picked up a piece of glass that was sticking out of a pile of sand, dropping it back a second later to avoid being cut.

"The Pokemon you will encounter inside this castle will include a variety of psychic, ghost, dark and ground types, not limited to Cofargrigus, Golurk, Mismagius, Gengar, Sandslash, Sableye, dusclops, and if you're extremely unlucky, Spirtiomb." Kellyn began, moving forward through a small door, then jumping through a hole in the floor deliberately.

"You will see Pokemon hiding all around you if you look carefully enough, and you might see the odd Chandelure posing where there once would have been an actual Chandelier." He continued as they made their way through the seemingly endless castle. All of a sudden, he stopped, putting his hand out behind him.

"All of you look carefully. You see that quicksand pool?" he asked them, turning his head sharply. When everybody had nodded in reply, he continued speaking.

"There are many more like this one in our path. Avoid them entirely. Don't step on the moving sand even at the edge thinking you can get away, because you can't. Walk around them, and don't tread heavily near the edges, or you may upset more sand and expand the pool. Now follow me." He finished, walking slowly around the pool in front of them.

Everyone followed his lead, treading carefully around the pool of quicksand and continuing on their way.

-/

In the dining room of the castle.

"Okay, everyone, we're making camp here for the night!" Kellyn called out. Alfa started to set up their tent with him, noting that he had never before seen Kellyn lead with such confidence before. He must really have been here a lot.

-/

Later the next day…..

Alfa stepped forward to see why Kellyn had stopped In front of them, twenty feet high, unscathed, carved with murals depicting an enormous dragon, a king, two princes and a peaceful and prosperous land were a set of doors. Alfa realized they must be outside the chamber where the king had slept. The chamber where Volcarona resided.

"Okay listen up everybody!" Kellyn called out, drawing the young ones to attention. "Beyond these doors is where Volcarona is. It's going to be crazy, but working together, I expect the five of you to be able to capture it. Alfa and I will only intervene if you fail, all five of you. Now, Levian, come do the honors."

Levian walked up and pressed his palms against the doors and pushed, but they didn't budge.

"They're stuck." He said, moving back. At this Kellyn moved forward and tried as well, to no avail.

"Rampardos!" Kellyn called out.

"Wait!" Alfa cried. "It's better to leave these masterpieces unscathed, so why don't I try?"

"Ranger Alfa, how are you going to do it if two others couldn't even make it move an inch?" Vinay asked.

"Half my body is synthetic." Alfa replied shortly before turning to the doors, and with great effort, pushing them open slowly. They all filed inside, in awe at the sheer size of the bedroom. There were pillars holding the roof up, and at the end of the room, waiting for them, was Volcarona. Before anyone could do anything, a scorching wind filled the room, slamming the doors shut.

"GO NOW! BEFORE IT ATTACKS!" Alfa shouted to the rangers, who ran forward in every direction, surrounding Volcarona. They struck out with their discs, partner Pokemon attempting to aid them, before Volcarona attacked again. This time it blasted Vinay to the floor with a greenish brown beam of energy Alfa recognized as bug beam. Running forward and back in the blink of an eye, Alfa brought Vinay to safety behind one of the pillars as she put her hand to her head, saying; I'm fine I'm fine!

"Well you're out anyways. Just stay here, you can go to Kellyn by the door if you like." Alfa replied, moving back to the door, before calling out to the others. "YOU GET HIT, YOU'RE OUT! NOW CAPTURE VOLCARONA!"

Alfa and Kellyn watched as one by one Volcarona sent each of them back to the door until it was just Levian left, utter determination visible on his face. He sent a disc spinning around Volcarona as it was preparing a heat wave. The wave exploded outwards and Alfa readied himself to go into the fray, when it disappeared in a sandstorm. When the sandstorm cleared, Alfa looked forward, and Levian was smiling, scratching Volcarona's chin.

"Congratulations Levian! You've done well." Alfa began, striding forward. "So well that I officially give you Gold 2 rank!"

The expression of triumph on Levian's face was so clear that even Kellyn smiled. All of a sudden, Alfa sensed a tremor coming and crouched on one knee, with his right hand on the floor.

Alfa's ears were blocked out as the floor beneath them shook so loud that it concealed the roar that Alfa barely made out.

"Was that an earthquake!?" Lucy shouted once it had stopped.

"That, kid, was no earthquake. That, was a dragon." Alfa finished, attempting to get to his feet, before the earth started trembling again, and the world blacked out as the floor collapsed underneath their feet.


	7. One Sealed, One Broken

**Chapter 7: One Sealed, One Broken**

"That, kid, was no earthquake. That, was a dragon." Alfa finished, attempting to get to his feet, before the earth started trembling again, and the world blacked out as the floor collapsed underneath their feet.

Alfa looked up, pulling his visor down immediately to protect his eyes, the S-Lens inside analyzing what was going on. Beyond the lightly green tinted glass, he saw a scene of chaos. Reshiram was awake. And it was not happy. Alfa took in the scene before he hit the ground, the pain distracting him from his surroundings momentarily. What he saw was not a situation it was suitable to have novice rangers with him in.

The castle floor above the throne room had imploded onto the lower floor, and the roof of the castle had exploded skywards, blasting the sand out of way. As the chunks of sandstone the floor had been made from disintegrated from the heat in Reshiram's roar into sand, Alfa had the privilege to witness something it was speculated Reshiram could do, but had never before been documented. Reshiram's eyes glowed as a mass of sand approached it from the sky, and with another heat wave, it turned into glass, sealing the castle from above, the dome like shape preventing sand from obscuring the sunlight.

It was awe inspiring. Then he hit the ground. He lost focus for a second, having hit the corner of a piece of sandstone, before looking around again to see what had become of Kellyn and the others. Kellyn was getting to his feet and the others were lying on their backs, or faces. Alfa tried to pull himself up, collapsing on his first attempt, succeeding after a while on his second attempt. He tried to assess the situation. Reshiram was alive and kicking, not happy by the looks of it, it was probably just him and Kellyn in the fight. Standing behind Reshiram were a bunch of people in red lab coats.

'Team Flare? Wait, no, they wore white lab coats and red suits. These guys are red everything.' Alfa thought to himself. They were too far away to make out the symbol on their coats.

'Idiot! You're wearing an electronic visor. Just zoom in on the damn logo!' Alfa realized. He turned the dial on the visor, zooming in on the symbol on the back of one of the scientist's coats. A flaming M. Team Magma.

"Blaise." Alfa whispered under his breath, mentally swearing as he heard the echo go around.

"I TOLD YOU THERE WAS SOMEONE ABOVE US YOU IDIOTS! I KNEW THERE WAS SOMEONE ALLOWED IN THE DAMN CASTLE TODAY, AND THEN YOU B****** GO AND SAY 'NO NO! IT'S EMPTY! WE"LL BE UNDISTURBED! BLITHERING IDIOTS! AND GREAT, THEY'RE RANGERS! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO HAMMER IT INTO YOUR WORHTLESS MINDS TO DOUBLE CHECK THINGS BEFORE YOU REPORT TO ME YOU STUPID PIECES OF ****!" shouted a scrawny man blond man in a red hoodie moving out from behind Reshiram.

"I CAN BARELY FREAKIN CONTROL RESHIRAM AS IT IS AND NOW I HAVE TO DEAL WITH YOUR IDIOCY!" He continued ranting.

"P-P-P-Pleas-se, M-M-M-Mas-ster B-B-Blais-se. P-P-P-Pleas-se, I b-beg of-f y-you, f-f-forg-g-give us!" whimpered one of the scientists as Blaise walked up to him red in the face, shaking his fist at him.

"NO I WILL NOT FREAKIN FORGIVE YOU, BECAUSE NOW, THEY FREAKIN KNOW WHO WE ARE! GO TO THE CORNER AND HIT YOURSELF!" Blaise ordered him, his eyes briefly glowing red. And this was where Alfa witnessed his possession in person.

The scientist eyes glowed red before his face lost all expression, his body slacked and he moved dully to the corner and started hitting himself. In this brief moment of distraction, Alfa summoned his entire team silently, sending Latios outside the glass dome via its own teleportation, which was the first thing Blaise noticed. The glass was thick and uneven, and Alfa suspected that Mega Latios would be able to magnify Luster Purge through that shield of glass, heating it to the point of explosion.

And Luster Purge did expand, but the glass didn't break. Alfa, looked over at Kellyn in despair, who had Rampardos and Empoleon by his side, staring at Reshiram with a look that told Alfa he would survive, no matter what. And then Alfa's mind flickered momentarily to Courtney, his will iron bound for survival and return to her. Kellyn slowly moved next to Alfa.

"This glass may magnify Luster Purge because it's uneven, but it won't break either because it's uneven!" Blaise cackled, laughing maniacally, which Alfa noted was perfectly in character for him. Whispering something to Kellyn, successfully without an echo, they launched into full attack. Sceptile and Empoleon kept Reshiram busy, Swampert tossing Rampardos and itself to the roof, and Blaziken independently leaping to it in an attempt to break it.

"NINETAILES! STOP THEM!" Blaise shouted as he tossed out as poke ball, his Ninetails preventing the attack from succeeding.

"HAH! I STOPPED YOU!" Blaise jeered as Ninetails repeatedly knocked Rampardos, Swampert and Blaziken away from the roof.

Smiling Alfa replied. "And that was the plan. While you were busy with us, you didn't see the big picture. Look up, and see why you've lost." He finished, pointing towards the glass dome containing an amplified Luster Purge, stepping back at the same time as Blaise turned his head.

Latios soared faster than as bullet towards the dome, first a speck in the sky, then a purple jet, before it stopped moving before the glass, a fraction of a second away from hitting it, fully visible when the sonic impact hit the glass, shattering it like, well, glass. The frozen beam of energy hit Reshiram, knocking it out, and when the sand cleared, there was aught but a white stone next to Blaise.

"THIS ISN'T OVER!" Blaise screamed as his eyes glowed red again, and Alfa was mentally besieged, his own eyes glowing blue.

"_You will bend to my will!" Blaise commanded, Alfa fighting for control of his mind with the honey coated voice telling him to obey Blaise. He had nearly given up, when his mind cleared._

_A roar sounded, the likes of which Alfa had never heard before, and he felt Blaise's presence shrink as Latios ripped Blaise's mind to shreds, the onslaught forcing him back into his own mind where Latios destroyed him._

"_IF YOU WANT TO LAY SIEGE TO ALFA, THEN YOU MUST LAY SIEGE TO THE BOTH OF US!" Latios roared. And then he was free._

'Thank you.' Alfa thought as he came back to reality breathing heavily. He looked over to see how much damage had been done. Latios was next to him, his eyes glowing bright blue, Blaise's eyes the same, his mouth foaming and his body seizing before Latios released him and he collapsed into a pile.

'Not a problem.' Latios replied.

'What did you do to him?' Alfa asked, staring at Blaise's collapsed body.

'I broke his mind.' Latios answered shortly. 'We won't talk further on the subject.'

'Okay then. Alfa replied. 'It's just scary to know you can do that.

-/-/

**Author's note:**

**Hi, I keep forgetting to, but I hope this one disclaimer can be understood to apply to all my stories. DISCLAIMER: I do not own Pokemon or any of its characters, maps, or concepts, I only own my OC's.**

**And note, I may have accidentally in various places throughout this story and the one before referred to Latios as 'it' and not 'him'. Let me clarify that Latios should be referred to as 'him', which was my mistake sometimes and I will attempt to do so further on. Thanks for reading, Alfa19**


	8. The Voice In The Ring

**Chapter 8: The Voice In The Ring**

_**-/**_

_**A/N **_

_**I'd like to explain that my writing is influenced greatly by what's going on in the world, what's going on around me, what I've watched or read lately, etc.**_

_**-/**_

It was six in the morning and the sun was shining through Alfa's half open curtains, Tailow were singing outside and dew drops were falling from the ash tree outside the window, painting a beautiful scene right next to him. Alfa however, was too immersed in his own thoughts to notice any of this. What was really bugging him was the dream he had had earlier.

Ice was standing on the other side of the gateway that had sent Alfa's soul back to earth, speaking indistinctly. Alfa was overcome with doubt about whether the entire adventure had just been a dream or not.

'_If you doubt that this is real, which you probably will and I don't blame you for, call and find out if Kincaid's dead or not.' Ice said towards the end of the dream when Alfa was stirring and had barely heard him._

He couldn't bear it any longer. Alfa picked up his cell and dialed the prison ward where he knew they had locked Kincaid up at his arrest.

"Hello, Falters Psychiatric Prison Ward. Who is this?" the guard on the other end inquired.

"This is Alfa Snowbelle, head of the Ranger Union, calling to enquire about a prisoner." Alfa replied, not knowing what to expect.

"Which prisoner might this be?" the guard asked, moving slightly on a creaky swivel chair.

"Albert Kincaid, arrested in Hia Valley by myself and my brother." Alfa answered, his voice momentarily faltering when he said the last word.

"Give me a minute." The guard stated, and Alfa heard him get up and move to a metal drawer, again, not in perfect condition, and shuffle through some files. "He died quite some time ago, maybe a year and a half now."

"How?" Alfa asked, his mind nearly torn apart by the possibilities of what the answer could be.

"He choked on his last meal. Chicken, I think." The guard answered him.

"Thank you." Alfa said shortly as he cut the line, his mind going back to the rest of his dream.

'_We have a problem. I've been examining the earth, and it's a big one. A young metal worker in the north, somewhere west of Hia Valley and Almia Castle, seemed to have read the Lord of The Rings recently, and may have actually believed that these rings did exist. When he found out they didn't he set to work. He imbued the energy from his deceased grandfather's dying Pokemon into thirteen rings. Nine silver, three gold, one gold with emeralds inside. Each with its own ability depending on the Pokemon he chose for it. And you and I know how catastrophic this could be. The last ring, doesn't do anything. Unless you melt all the other rings into nothing and give the last ring another coating in their melted metal. Then, it can resurrect the dead. I need you to find and destroy these rings, at least so the last one can't be used. And I beg of brother, if you collect them all, don't try and bring me back. It's unnatural.' Ice explained._

'_How will I find them? And don't you know what the other rings do?' Alfa asked him._

'_I believe that one of the gold ones should find its way to you. I know what the rings do, I just don't know which does what.' Ice had replied sadly shaking his head._

'_Tell me what they do at least, so I know what to expect, and why they have dispersed instead of staying with their maker.' Alfa replied._

'_Invisibility, Speed, Strength, Telekinesis, Reading the thoughts of others, Controlling minds weaker than yours, Luck, Lightning, Fire, Water, Earth, and Wind. They dispersed because their master dropped dead after making the last ring.' Ice answered him shortly._

'_And one more things, as long as you destroy enough that they cannot fall into bad hands, keep a few if you like, but keep them as one ring. Melting any number under twelve and coating the last ring again melds their powers into the last ring, rendering them useless in the form of power, but an ample gift for Courtney.' Ice continued._

'_Okay. Wait! Hey! How do you know about Courtney!?' Alfa retaliated._

'_You do know that I'm communicating to you through your mind. And now a word or two then I must be gone.' Ice had explained, smiling._

This was where Ice had told Alfa to check. Alfa stood up slowly, noticing something that hadn't been on his desk previously. A white envelope with a slight protrusion in the middle. Alfa walked to his desk carefully, picking it up and slitting it open. He turned it around over his hand.

A golden ring fell into his hand. Pure, solid gold. Inside, intricate flowing shaded lines spelt one word: Erevicith

Alfa slipped the ring into his pocket, his breathing heavy, as someone opened his door. It opened slowly and quietly, and Courtney came in through it, her eyes slightly wet.

"Courtney, what's wrong?!" Alfa asked her, worried to the bone about everything that had happened recently.

"I'm sorry, it's just that the past keeps coming back to me in my dreams. I heard you talking on your phone, so I thought I could come sit with you for a while, if that's okay with you." She said, in a low voice, a tear trickling down her face from her left eye.

"Courtney, you're always welcome here. You can even wake me up any time. It's no problem. Here, why don't you just sit with me?" Alfa replied, his voice truly worried and kind. So Courtney sat with Alfa until eight, her arms wrapped around him, her head on his shoulder, slowly falling asleep again.

-/-/

Eight a.m.

Alfa was still awake, thinking about the rings and the lunatic who made them. I mean, who followed a book so seriously! Courtney was waking up slowly and Alfa was still deep in thought. He had been thinking of how to find the other rings, when his phone started ringing.

Literally jumping three feet into the air, Alfa ran to pick it up. At this point Courtney was awake. A brief conversation later, Alfa was in the kitchen, looking for something to eat for breakfast, his expression hard.

"What's going on?" She asked him as he grabbed a pack of sausages from the freezer, walking into the lounge, rubbing her left eye.

'Sicilia has appendicitis." Alfa replied shortly. "They're operating at five Oblivia time. I'm going there now."

"I'm coming with you." She replied.

"Courtney, I'm going to be travelling at through open air at speeds higher than sound!" he protested.

Courtney cut him short, folding her arms. "I'm coming with you." At which point Alfa decided it was useless to protest.

"Get ready, get some glasses, and put everything you need in a bag and hold on to it tightly. I'll get breakfast ready." Alfa told her as he set about getting breakfast ready. Around half an hour later, Alfa and Courtney headed to the lowed floor where Latios was awake, having read Alfa's mind.

'Take Rayquaza. It'll be faster.' Latios told him, a no nonsense tone in his mind. 'Call me when you get to Oblivia.'

'Fine. Thanks. Rest up though. I don't want you half asleep when we get to Oblivia.' Alfa replied, heading back up to the first floor terrace. Alfa scribbled a note and left it on the TV, running back to the balcony.

"Courtney, climb onto my back." Alfa instructed her shortly.

"Why?" she asked him, confused.

"We can't call Rayquaza from her, so I'm jumping onto an open roof. I've done this before." Alfa explained. It took all of Courtney's faith in Alfa not to turn back then, and all her strength not to let go as he leapt from building to building until they were on an open roof.

"Never. Do. That. Again." Courtney gasped as Alfa set her down on the roof. Smiling ever so slightly, Alfa launched a silicon disc into the sky, the delta symbol carved into it. The disc expanded until a Wailord could have passed through it unscathed, a glowing sheet of energy in the center, as Rayquaza came out of on end, mega evolved.

'Hello Alfa.' Rayquaza thought. Alfa had recently discovered that all Legendary Pokemon could do that. 'It's been quite a while. How are you?'

'I'm fine, just skim through my head and you'll see where we need to be. And we need to get there as fast as possible.' Alfa replied.

'No problem. If you could recognize how I smile, I would.' Rayquaza answered him, disappearing into the sky once Alfa and Courtney were on its back.

'WHAT SPEED IS THIS?' Alfa shouted mentally over the background noise.

'Mach 14. Human's haven't and likely won't achieve it soon.' Rayquaza replied, seemingly oblivious to the background noise. 'I'm speeding up right now, so it would be best if we stop talking and you hold on tighter.'

Alfa gripped Rayquaza's neck with all his strength, Courtney in front of him to make sure she didn't fall off as Rayquaza reached what he guessed was Mach 17.

-/-/

In Oblivia, once Rayquaza was back in Sky Pillar and Latios was with Alfa again…

Alfa moved under the tree in the park for a moment. Rayquaza was too large to drop them off outside his house. He walked out of the shadows, Courtney walking behind him, the young kids in the park dropping their toys and running to Alfa.

"Look everybody! Alfa's back!" a little kid called Del shouted, dropping his baseball and running straight for Alfa. Alfa was happy that they remembered who he was, but he didn't need a mass of kids swarming him right now. He picked Courtney up and put her on his back, she instinctively wrapped her arms around him, and he set off at full sprint. The sun was shining here as well, Tailow weren't singing, but there were other things around him making it as beautiful a scene as there had been outside his window. He paid no attention to that, overtaking many of the slower cars as he ran on the sidewalk, making straight for his house.

Just moments later, Alfa reached the house and put Courtney down, knocking on the door as she brushed some dirt of her sleeve. The door opened and Alfa's Foster mother was standing there, looking slightly worried.

"Alfa! Come in dear." She greeted them.

"Thank you… Mother." Alfa hesitated as the last word left his mouth, but he didn't regret it. She had cared for Alfa and Sicilia like their mother, and her face was lit up with joy as Alfa called her that again.

"Mother, you remember Courtney?" Alfa asked her as they stepped inside.

"Yes of course! Look at you dear, you've grown so much since I last saw you!" She replied, turning to Courtney.

"Thank you. It's good to see you as well." Courtney replied with a smile.

"Mother, where's Sicilia?" Alfa asked her, his expression growing more worried with the every second that passed.

"She's checking into the hospital with your father. I was just waiting for you." She replied.

Glancing out the window at the busy traffic in every direction, Alfa replied.

"You two go by car, I'm going by foot."

"But Alfa! It's too far" She gave up noticing that Alfa was already out the door and out of sight. He was indeed running to the hospital, pushing himself to the borders of burning out, in an attempt to get there quick enough. He raced through South-Cross Island, making straight for Mercy Cross United. The best hospital in all of Oblivia.

Weaving through the twists and turns, Alfa ran without stopping Latios behind him. He would have gone atop Latios, but with all the twists and turns, combined with the tall buildings, Latios couldn't actually go much faster in that environment. In that regard Almia was much better. Far more open and easier for one who was flying to navigate.

-/

A while later, at the hospital…

Alfa raced through the automatic glass doors just before they closed behind someone else, re-opening after sensing him much later, once he was at the nurse's station. He stopped abruptly at the counter, literally scorching a mark into the floor, leaving the people sitting on plastic benches behind him staring.

"Sicilia Hyrax. What room is she in!?" Alfa asked the nurse at the counter, her brown curly hair still waving in the rush of wind he brought with him, his mouth running as fast as his legs.

"Excuse, me. Who are you?" She asked, pushing her hair back.

"You're new here aren't you?" Alfa sighed gritting his teeth as she nodded in reply. "I'm Alfa Snowbelle. Head of the Ranger Union, Kalos Champion, and Sicilia's older brother. Now what room is she in!?"

"She's in room 451, along the front face of the building on the fourth floor sir." She answered him, her spine straightening and her eyes widening as Alfa glanced over to the mass of people in front of the elevators and the staircase.

He ran straight out the building, swiveling on his heels to face it the second he was out the door, before jumping up and grabbing on of the many niches that were above and below the various windows, making his way up to Sicilia's room, so distracted that he didn't think to fly up on Latios, who was following him from behind. Alfa climbed up to the fourth floor, looking in each window briefly until he found Sicilia's room. He knocked on the window, drawing his foster father's attention. His eyes immediately widened, but all the same he ran to the window, opening it as Alfa climbed in swiftly, securing it once he and Latios were inside.

"Hi dad." Alfa said briefly, turning to Sicilia. "Sis, how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. It just hurts a bit. Why'd you climb in through the window?" she asked in return.

Their foster father explained before Alfa could reply. "It hadn't gone very far at all. We were having a routine family checkup and the doctors spotted it. Why did you climb in through the window? And as a matter of fact, how did you climb up to the window. I mean, I know you rangers are always in top condition, but the winds outside are blowing intensely!"

"The diamond in your heart. Why isn't it glowing anymore?" Sicilia interjected.

All of a sudden, Alfa realized that his family knew nothing about his health except that Isaac had saved him from dying of the spear wound. He swallowed, deciding that he would explain later.

"That. I'll explain when mom's also here, when we've taken you home after the surgery." Alfa replied, wondering how they would react to the news.

-/-/

Two weeks later, at the Hyrax house, at the dinner table…

"So Alfa, how did you climb up to my window at the hospital?" Sicilia asked, finishing her bread and butter pudding, as Alfa suddenly went silent. Under the table, Courtney squeezed his hand. Sighing, Alfa began.

"Okay. So you all remember the story of how Professor Hastings went mad and laid siege to my house in Kalos right?" He began, as everyone nodded silently. "I'll start with the diamond. Sicilia, you're taking all three sciences in your secondary studies right?"

"Yep." She replied, as Alfa looked over at her.

"Okay, then you'll understand this. So when Isaac performed the surgery, he discovered that the diamond, which corrodes slowly after continuous contact with sulfur, was about to start corroding. He removed it even as it started corroding, ruining more than a few of the tools, filling in the gap with a silicon piece that performs the same function for me as the diamond did." He paused, letting that sink in, before continuing on. "As for how I climbed up, that's a longer story. When the human body stops providing the necessary nutrients to the muscles, they start to die. Very, very, very quickly. By the time my friends got me to the hospital, around half the muscle tissue in my body was dead. Isaac. Well. He replaced it with new synthetic muscles. They're doing that these days. But he believed that as the future head of the Ranger Union, a perspective target for danger, I should be stronger and faster as to avoid more accidents and injuries that could lead to, well, death. So he amped them up before he implemented them seamlessly into my body. Now I can run faster than a doduo, level a Blaziken in strength, and since I was fit before the accident, my stamina has increased. I can run from here across the bridge and to the edge of mainland Oblivia without breaking a sweat." Alfa finished, worried as to what the response might be.

His foster parents were just gaping at him, and Sicilia went to go get a crumble out of the oven, absorbing the shock, before speaking.

"That is so cool!" She exclaimed, as their foster parents smiled.

"Yes. I can't think of any other words for it." His foster mother said.

"It's amazing." His foster father finished.

Alfa smiled at the acceptance, feeling at home again in the Hyrax house.

"I'm taking up your name again." Alfa remarked, not knowing where it came from, just that it was the right thing to do, and that he would do it. Mentally, he started to think of them as his parents again instead of his foster parents. He had a family again.

-/-/

January 23, 11:27 PM, Number 14 Altru Park Complex…

Alfa sat on his bed, his birthday approaching the next day. That however wasn't anywhere near what was on his mind; the ring. He was turning it in his hand, examining it. He had had another dream from Ice earlier.

"_You see, I might have been wrong when I explained about how the energy transfers from one ring to the emerald ring. And I found out why there are three golden rings. The metal smith, John was his name, finished them on the peak of a mountain far away, casting them there. The force of the rings, carved a pattern into the floor of the ruins atop the mountain. A ring with twelve points like those of a clock where there was a depression for each ring, all connected intricately to the center, where there was a last depression, and to each other in a circle. He had imbued the power into the main ring at the time, and set them all in their depressions, as the energy coursed and split into the other rings. The rings at twelve, eight and four were the three gold rings. Guardian Pokemon of their types felt this change and lashed out in fury, fluctuating these rings to gold. I don't know of any other effects yet, but I know that your ring was one of them. This is all the time I have, so happy birthday in advance!" Ice yelled over the fading dream, as Alfa woke._

Alfa turned the ring in his hand one more time, reading the writing inside. He had found that when it gained warmth from his hand, the writing changed. First the letter had spelt out intricately; Erevicith. Now they wrote something else; If You Chase Me To The Edge Of The World, I Will Leap Off The Earth, And I Will Take You With Me

Alfa slipped the ring onto his third finger, not knowing what to expect. He held his hand out, as though he expected to receive something, and focused, closing his eyes. Almost immediately, he felt a force tugging at him, and when he opened his eyes, dancing in his hand, was a chain of electricity, weaving in and out of itself, forming a sphere.

'I. AM. EREVICITH.' The voice in his head roared, Alfa's mind frozen in attempt to not be shredded in its primordial essence.

'Alfa Hyrax… I wondered who would find this ring… Speak!' It commanded.

'Who are you?' Alfa asked, the question rolling off his train of thought before he could do anything else.

'I am Erevicith. Erevicith, in the ancient language, means Lightning. Or to you I would be known as Raikou. What you have drawn upon was less than a mere shred of the energy that the soul of that Luxray contained.'

'Might I ask, Erevicith, why are you here? In my mind?' Alfa asked, half expecting to be destroyed.

'I shall explain from the start. Suicune, Entei and I were scouring the land, when we felt the souls of these Pokemon set to rest forever in these rings, and not to reach the afterlife by the smith. We freed the three we had influence over, thus turning those rings gold, at the same time, striking a fatal blow to the smith, making him fall dead after the rings were made into gold. The energy of the Luxray is still in the ring, evermore amplified by my mind, which is forevermore linked to this ring. Should you transfer the energy from this ring to another, my mind will be freed and not moved to the other ring. I trust in you Alfa Hyrax. Which is why I have not destroyed you. When you seek help, I shall guide you. Those were my words you found under the ring.' Raikou responded, shaking Alfa's mind, though releasing the grip on it. Alfa whispered under his breath heavily, as the conversation ended brusquely.

"When you chase me to the ends of the world, I will leap off the earth, and I will take you with me."


	9. Death Wish

**Chapter 9: Death Wish**

Alfa sat bolt upright in his bed, his spine rigid, his eyes focused on a nonexistent point in in the distance as sleep over came him. But not ordinary sleep.

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_Alfa felt every fiber of his being shredded apart, examined carefully, re-examined and put back together in the blink of an eye. He tried to move his arms to no avail. Pressure exerted itself onto his mind, examining every single thought going through his mind. _

"_Come to Sinnoh, to the spear pillar on mount Coronet." A deep, rich voice sounded through the open plane of his mind. "And bring the flute." The sound entranced Alfa, in the plane of reality, his body swaying, in the dream, his body held as tight as ever. Then the dream faded into the distance, the sound of the melodious, sonorous voice echoing in his mind._

-/-/-/

Alfa's spine slacked, releasing the tension in his back. He look down to see his shirt drenched in sweat. Whatever it was that had reached out to him, it had been powerful. He looked around the room. It looked the same as it had been before, but it felt as though each and every particle had been ripped apart and placed back in the search for him. He felt a heavy weight in his pocket where he kept the ring, and fearing for what might have happened, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a flute, the reflective azure material unknown to him. His heart started to race as he stood up, heading for his closet.

After a shower and a change from his drenched clothes, Alfa stepped out of his room, making straight for the door, a bag slung over his shoulder. He made it as far as the lounge without being noticed, until everyone he knew who mattered suddenly appeared from out of nowhere.

"WHAA!" Alfa cried out as he tripped over a step in shock and landed face first on the floor.

"And happy birthday to you." Keith remarked cheerfully, dragging Alfa back up to his feet.

"What th-!" Alfa was cut short as Sicilia appeared out of nowhere and tackled him, knocking him of his feet again. She was barely up to his chest, but then again, he was tall.

"When did you cut your hair short!?" she exclaimed, running her hand through the close trimmed hair on Alfa's head. He had recently decided that he didn't like it when his hair was capable of blocking his eyes.

"Two weeks ago." Alfa replied, smiling as he remembered that Sicilia hated it when he changed his look without telling her.

"Where's mom and dad?" he asked her, getting back up onto his feet (quite a problem with Sicilia still clinging to him).

"They can't come yet. They said they'd come visit. But they had me come here. And I'm here for a whole three weeks.

Alfa found himself silently wishing he didn't have to go, but he had a suspicion of who it was. He made his way towards the door quietly, to find his way blocked by Kellyn. Since when had he learnt advanced stealth?

"You can deal with whatever business you have tomorrow. Today, you stay home with all your friends." Kellyn replied turning him around and steering him back to the couch.

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Early the next morning…

Alfa crept out the door, making his way to the park silently, his bag over his shoulder again. He whistled once he was away from the building, just to pass the time. He continued his walk until he was at the stage for the park, the most open area in Altru City, as Rayquaza bore down on him from above, picking him up, and carrying him all the way to Sinnoh.

"Set me down at the base of the mountain, will you? I want to make the trek up myself." Alfa stated, as he felt the mental recognition from the lord of the skies. The serpentine dragon let him down at the base of a long mountain which he could only guess was Mount Coronet. He made his way into the cave, not knowing what to expect.

-/-/

Two days later…..

Alfa found himself staring another exit in the face. The question was whether this one was to the spear pillar, or just another exit to the mountain side below. He took a deep breath, his white V-neck shaking slightly, and stepped out. Immediately he knew he was in the right place. Standing in front of him were four marble, carved pillars, which once held up a grand roof (which was now in pieces on the floor before him), now ending in jagged spear points.

He walked across the cracked marble floor, the silence implying the strength of a greater force, one that could snap shut the howling jaws of the wind. Finding nothing, he sighed disappointed. Until his hand started to burn. It had been in his pocket, resting on the azure flute. He whipped it out of his pocket, along with the flute, the frigid air cooling the burning instrument. Unconsciously, he put it to his lips and blew, before watching it crumble to dust. A staircase of white light started forming in front of him from the floor upwards, towards a rip in the sky which kept expanding.

Alfa walked up the stairs, reaching the rip in the eerie silence. He walked through it as the staircase disappeared, and the rip closed behind him. Turning around immediately, his intention to hammer on the wall where the rip had been, he realized there was nothing there. He was in the middle of a hall. The hall.

"Welcome. To the Hall of Origin." The same sonorous voice sounded out, ringing throughout the never ending hall. Alfa turned to see a massive white, deer like beast standing in front of him, a glowing golden ring around its waist, a grey face on the white head which extended so far, green eyes meeting his gaze. There was only one being who could take the shape of something so regal, so powerful, and so god-like. Something which was the creator.

"Arceus." Alfa whispered under his breath, not daring to breathe, as he found himself staring in the face the deity which had created everything.

"Yes child, I am Arceus!" It bellowed the last three words, causing the hall to shake with the magnitude of its mere voice.

Alfa didn't move, not knowing what to do.

"I have no time for long conversations at present, so I will move directly to the reason for which I have called you here." Arceus continued, turning towards a floating image which Alfa recognized all too well.

"Your brother. I do not take kindly to those who meddle with the affairs of the living even after their death. I will not tolerate it. And I do not need to. He will no longer contact you, nor interfere with anything again."

"What did you do to him!?" Alfa cried out, finding his voice.

"Nothing. I just cut him off from meddling in the affairs of the living." Arceus replied, a white hand in the air making a motion as though he were casually dismissing the thought.

"The rings I have destroyed, including your own." Arceus went on, turning towards the image, which had shifted to a pile of golden dust.

"And I also know that you intended it to be your final true adventure." The deity finished softly, turning towards Alfa.

Alfa nearly fell backwards, wondering how Arceus knew that momentarily, before remembering that he was talking to the creator.

"Which is why I have the quest for you, which should never have gone untold." Arceus spoke the words with a grave note in its voice.

"The avalanche that killed your parents… It wasn't an accident. Someone wished on Jirachi's third and final tag for it to happen." Arceus went on.

"In other words, your parents were murdered."


End file.
